High-Intensity Interval Training – or HIIT – is becoming a fast paced workout trend in 2015. HIIT are short bursts of activity followed by short periods of rest or recovery. These workouts are typically performed in 30 minutes or less and are perfect for anyone who is seeking improvement in their sports performance or who wants to optimize whatever time they have for exercise.

In busy times, people are constantly finding excuses to not exercise – but for those looking for a quick fix to fulfill their exercise needs, HIIT has been proven effective with its 20 minute express workouts. Many large companies, such as GoodLife Fitness, created step-by-step programs to promote HIIT with machines in their gyms. GoodLife Fitness’ program 20 Minute Fit Fix uses 9 circuit machines, which are labeled in consecutive order for a customer to use, for exercising the upper body, lower body and core.

The 20 Minute Fit Fix uses a form of Circuit Training, which is a workout routine that combines cardiovascular fitness and resistance training. This is an ancient practice that has been used since the 1950s as a means to develop general fitness. The routine involves alternating between machines every 1-3 minutes while targeting different muscle groups with only 30-90 seconds break between stations. This short break enhances cardiovascular fitness along with the benefit of resistance training. Circuit Training can involve machines, surgical tubing, jump rope, your own body weight, dumbbells, medicine balls and physioballs. Many professional athletes use Circuit Training during offseason workouts as a means to maintain general fitness while avoiding high physical demands of in-season sport.

For those who are seeking a more high intensity workout with CrossFit elements, workout guru’s Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED would be most beneficial. This workout can be found in popular gyms such as Crunch, GoodLife Fitness and YWCA. SHRED’s acronym consists of Synergistic, High Intensity, Resistance, Endurance and Dynamics. Following suit, SHRED is therefore a high intensity and endurance 30 minute workout consisting of Jillian’s 3-2-1 interval approach – 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. This approach had been claimed to shed fat, define muscle and transform the body’s entire physique, while enhancing overall health and athletic performance.

A report published in JAMA Internal Medicine studied 15,208 people aged 25 and older from 2007 to 2012. The researchers estimated that 40% of men were overweight and 35% of men were obese. They also estimated that 30% of women were overweight and 37% were obese.

“Our estimates are very close to CDC’s [U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention] estimates, and there is clearly not a trend of decline on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States,” says study author Lin Yang, a postdoc researcher at Division of Public Health Sciences in the Department of Surgery in an email. “Thus, we strengthen the case for implementing policies and practices that span multiple sections and [are] designed to combat overweight and obesity. This will need a political will to support multi-level approaches through individual, health professional, community, environment and policy engagement to address this epidemic as a whole.”

Americans’ waistlines have continued to grow over the last 20 years, leading people to greater risks of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. With obesity becoming a major epidemic in the United States, the trend for HIIT and express workouts hasn’t come at a better time. These workouts stomp out any excuses of having no time to exercise. Researchers have concluded that interventions in healthy diet, physical activity and healthy social norms can help Americans get back into shape.

ASI System Integration, Inc. has partnered with Bootcamp Republic in order to provide ASI employees easy access to fitness. Bootcamp Republic offers workout routines for all levels of fitness, including cardiovascular and combined conditioning which is proven to be effective for weight loss, reducing and preventing high blood pressure, building strength and coordination, increasing stamina, endurance and energy levels, combating anxiety, stress and depression, preventing heart disease, diabetes type 2, and some cancers. This fall, ASI will be offering Bootcamp Republic’s Cardio Burn class onsite to employees. The class is pure cardio meant to keep participants constantly moving in order to elevate heart rates, and keep them elevated, with a goal of burning 500-800 calories per class.

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